Mortal Man
by Hood Politician
Summary: Obito had realized Madara was manipulating him. This was for sure. It was too late to prevent his old sensei's death, especially after the Nine-Tailed Fox attack. Fortunately for him, he still had Minato's new born to implant his DNA with, and hopefully, just maybe, save the world from Madara. Sharingan!Naruto, eventual Rinnegan!Naruto. EVENTUAL Naruto/Yugito.
1. Mortal Man

**-1-**

 **Mortal Man**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any parts of Naruto or its affiliates.**

 **Well shit, it's been awhile since I have posted, and truth be told, I have thought of this revival every single day since I removed the original story. Now, that is not to say this is going to be exactly like the old story, as it won't be. Instead, it will be the same idea with new elements in it.**

 **Some changes to go over:**

 **No parents or siblings. This was once a neglect fic, and eventually, I got bored and tired with this cliched topic. Around chapter 5 of the old fic is when I realized I wanted a story that was not focused around his family, and instead focused on himself and who he is as a person.**

 **ONE, SINGULAR PARTNER. This _also_ was once a harem fic, and I eventually hated that idea as well. It's dumb in my opinion, and doesn't do any good for character or plot development. This story will either be Naruto/Yugito, Naruto/Mei, Naruto/Fu, OR another person, but it will NOT be more than one person.**

 **No genderbending. Appropriate ages.**

 **Madara is final villain confirmed. Kaguya was stupid. That is all.**

 **That about covers the changes I will be applying to this story. If you do not agree with these changes, assuming you were around for the original story, then I sincerely apologize for upsetting you, but these changes are permanent, and I will not debate nor argue this point.**

 **I will be the first to admit, I am a shit author, relatively speaking of course, with some of the other much more talented and dedicated authors on this lovely website. However, I am always going to try my hardest to deliver a high-quality chapter for my audience, and this I promise. I will always be open for CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. I hope some of you reading this will enjoy my story, and any future stories, for what they are worth.**

 **Also keep in mind this will be a side project, first and foremost, because I have a career and a significant other that will ALWAYS take priority. I will do my best to write and update this story, so do not worry.**

 **I hope you enjoy the first chapter of Mortal Man, the new and improved edition!**

Over the frostbitten glow of the dead of night, a lone baby was resting peacefully. Konohagakure lay in ruin, the once mighty village devastated by the force of a raging demon. Standing besides the isolated infant, two figures, one human and one not, peered with a hidden curiosity.

"What do you make of this, Zetsu?" The taller of the two figures, having spoke, glanced worriedly out of the hospital window.

"It has been approximately seven hours since Minato's death. We can leave a clone of mine here and take the child back for procedures." The now named Zetsu spoke calmly.

"No, I meant with… it doesn't matter. We leave in twenty. Sooner, if you sense a nurse approaching. I need to take a quick detour for _her_."

Zetsu snorted in disgust. "Hurry, Obito. We don't have much time."

"I know, I know. Just… watch the damn baby, okay?" With that sentiment voiced, Obito left, seemingly floating into the chilly air. Zetsu, or at least what looked to be his black side, rolled a single eye.

Drudging over the now wailing child in front of him, it was now a sure-fire thought to Zetsu that this plan was going to fail as soon as an issue arose. How could they have been so certain a mere month ago? They were criminals, absolute monsters of shinobi and hardened demons whose reputations had to be upheld; where a mere mentioning of the Akatsuki would simply and suddenly drain the god-given life out of a fool's face and oh so shockingly send any and all individuals to an instantaneous panic attack.

They were _outlaws,_ plain and simple. They had no business trying to groom an orphan into a super weapon! The mere _thought_ of that was enough to force a forsaken giggle out of Zetsu's lips, never mind the actual execution of said idea! Lord knows that Obito was out of his mind, but the same Lord knew that somewhere in that broken and bruised and troubled and desecrate and barren wasteland for a thought process, Obito's decision was justified.

Naruto was the perfect candidate for constructing Mr. Anti-Madara Uchiha. An orphan as soon as he escaped from the womb of his now rotting mother, his father having been dragged limb by limb into the underworld. He had no family; he was a nobody. A nobody who could be molded and shaped like soap with a carving knife.

Zetsu sighed a great sigh and walked a hesitant walk. Picking up the Forlorn, it was certain to him that Obito was off his medications, figuratively speaking. Now, if that was a good thing or not, he would find out, and judging from past experiences, it was a mixture of both.

Hovering through the broken window, Obito gave a silent but deafening nod towards Zetsu. Returning the gesture, Zetsu handed the baby to his partner, a mutual sentiment shared between them. Sweeping his onyx hair to the side, he was sure that this plan was going to fail. Absolutely confident that it was going to go awry. No doubt that this scheme would fall through.

Why even bother, he thought, if this has no chance in hell of ever working. The casual opening of his fractured emotions that this homecoming had brought him was enough to force him into a premature retirement. Unfortunately, this homecoming trip wasn't meant for him.

Shrugging his shoulders in such a manner that only the closest of both friends and enemies could understand, Obito dissipated at once, returning to his dwelling, leaving a meticulous Zetsu covering up their tracks.

* * *

"Obito… why have you disturbed me?"

Looking at the woman solidly, Obito didn't waver in the slightest. "I took the liberty of taking an asset for the Akatsuki. If that is a problem, well, you better get used to this asset, because he is not leaving."

Raising an eyebrow, Konan glanced down at the infant. "I don't see how a child can possibly help us in taking Madara down."

"This baby isn't any baby, it's the offspring of the _late_ Minato Namikaze."

"I still don't see how this helps."

Shivering slightly at the cool air whipping against him, Obito marched over to Konan and stuck out Naruto. Hesitating to accept the proposal, she glanced up, her silent question being quickly answered.

"Just trust me. I need to show you something."

With that, Obito was gone, the shadow that once occupied his feet leaving as well. After a pregnant moment, he had returned, clutching a yellow and orange notebook. Flipping a few pages, he began.

"Studies have shown that after being born, a baby's chakra pathways and nodes develop continuously for about three months, and at the three month mark, they are finished developing and are fully mature, give or take. The process could take longer or shorter, depending on the amount of chakra a baby is born with."

"This is elementary, Obito. Why are you-"

"Let me finish! While it may be finished developing, a chakra pathway will grow and expand accordingly with the original body, which allows shinobi to expand their chakra reserves indefinitely. And because a chakra pathway is continuously adapting, this can lead to individual chakra identities, and in very, _very_ rare situations, chakra mutations. Now, what do you know about _kekkei genkai?_ "

Konan shifted her stance just a fraction, a momentary sliver of curiosity reaching her eyelids. "Well, kekkei genkai are genetic mutations that affect how chakra forms. While normally happening at birth, the formation of kekkei genkai can take place at any stage of life, naturally or artificially."

"Artificially, _precisely!_ This kid, this lonely and hungry and wretched kid, orphaned at birth and in such complete disarray, has no _natural_ kekkei genkai."

With a narrowing of her eyes, Konan adjusted the exhausted infant into her left hand and used its twin to halt Obito's flowing thoughts. "I can infer where this is heading, so please, stop talking. Why Naruto specifically, and with what kekkei genkai?"

Obito flipped a few pages and coughed suddenly. Wiping away the oddly colored saliva, he continued. "Naruto has the fox caged inside of him. Don't ask me how, or why, or even when, just know that he has the fox. At the mere age of… eight hours old, this kid has chakra pools that are massive, with potential for _even more_ of an increase! Think, Konan, if we give this kid the Rinnegan, he'll be unstoppable! Destructive, a warrior of annihilation! Nothing would be able to even _touch_ him at his peak. Madara? He'd be absolute toast against Naruto. We have an actual _chance_ if we do this, don't you see? We have a potential titan, a god among men in the making."

"And to do that, I plan on giving him some of my DNA for the Sharingan, and some Senju DNA, so that the Rinnegan can manifest itself."

Summoning a clone to hold the now squirming Naruto, a delicate step was taken towards a frostbitten window seal. Resting her weary body against the loose pane, Konan sighed. "This baby, Naruto… you do realize that he could potentially die, and not just a slight risk, or even a _moderate_ risk, but an _overwhelming_ risk of death, right? The Kyuubi would slaughter us all, even with the might of Pein himself, the fox would eventually win. If this operation were to fail..." her words lingered.

"Yes, I damn well know the risks I am running here, Konan. You have to see where I am coming from, however. My mentor has died, the man who saved me from certain death is attempting to take over the Elemental Nations, and currently, we have literally no options other than this baby. Face the facts, we are quickly running out of time, Konan, and I don't see any alternative strategies."

Obito paused. "I have put in many fail safes for this procedure. If the baby dies and fox is freed, then I already know what I will do to stop whatever it attempts. Please, just trust me."

Konan was unsure. He is stupid, this _plan_ is stupid. She was lying, of course. She fully believed that Pein could eventually beat the fox in a duel, assuming he didn't hold back from the start. The destruction of the ensuing fight, however, was something that she didn't want to see, no matter how interesting it was in the back of her head.

Did they really have no other plan besides relying on an _orphan,_ an orphan who wasn't even confirmed to survive?

She would find out.

"Fine. Do whatever you must, but just know, I'm not helping you in case Naruto dies. You better hope your backup plans work, or else we're all in for it."

Handing the child over to Obito, Konan gave one last glance at the haunted duo, and left.

* * *

"One,"

Silence.

"two,"

A bead of sweat dripped silently.

"three,"

A low huff.

This process continued for an indefinite amount of time. At around twenty push ups, Naruto collapsed.

"Twenty. A noticeable decrease. Explain."

A tired whimper was the answer that Konan received. "I said, _explain_."

"Sorry Ms. Konan, I am tired from last night's chakra system review. I had around six and a half hours of sleep."

Understandable. The idea of working on what was effectively half of what is needed for a six year old to operate was laughable. Nonetheless, she would not accept failure. The world would not accept failure.

"I will grant you a twenty minute rest, Naruto, and then you will learn the basics of incorporating basic chakra distribution into offensive taijutsu sets. If you need a chakra pill, the medicine cabinet's code is 4-7-1-9-3."

Wobbling at a demonstratively sluggish pace, Naruto eventually arrived at the promise land. Gulping down a few chakra pills, he felt better than before. He took a moment to look around.

He was alone. While it wasn't common, he knew the feeling all too well. For some unknown reason, the sensation of isolation was ingrained into him; it was natural, a feeling that he couldn't shake nor deny. It was his identity.

He had never known his parents. Or at least, he didn't think so. He had blond hair. Neither Konan nor Obito had his hair, his eyes, his face, his skin, his-

They just weren't him.

All he knew was he was an Uzu-maki, whatever that meant. Uzu-maki. Uzu. Maki. The words were foreign travelers on the breath of his lips. They meant essentially nothing. They meant _something_ , but unfortunately, that _something_ was not _something_ to him.

He longed for that _something_ , he practically _ached_ for whatever that oh so delicate and sensational _something_ could be. He longed for it. _Burned_ for it. He wanted to scream and cry and rage and destroy and sing and praise that _something_.

But he couldn't. He didn't know what that _something_ could possibly be. A simple word. Uzumaki. It was nothing to him, but yet it had an impact that he never felt before, he just couldn't _quite_ place his finger on what it could possibly mean to him.

Locking the cabinet door, he left. The cool touch of metal stayed with his hands.

He was alone.

"Naruto, come here for a moment, there is an issue I need to discuss with you before we go any further."

Sitting down delicately, Naruto remained patient. "You are approaching the age where every citizen in Konohagakure who expects to enter the military force is enrolled into what is essentially a military development camp. In order for the plan to work, you need to be physically present, and not just have a Zetsu clone take your place. So, in about three months time, you will begin at the Konohagakure Academy."

Naruto remained patient.

"That is all. Get into your taijutsu stance, we shall begin with the first lesson for today."

* * *

Three months had passed. Naruto, almost age seven, was ready for the Academy. After about two months, he had replaced the Zetsu clone and was starting to get accustomed to how life in Konohagakure was. It was a foreign experience, to say the least.

Along with living alone with no guidance, a man with gray hair would occasionally pop in to check on him, citing the biweekly visits as "Orders from the Hokage himself." The invasions weren't so bad, at least. Along with a stipend being given to him with every second session, Naruto was also given a basket of fruit and vegetables, courtesy of the man in charge himself.

The vegetables were a much welcomed alternative to the mush that Konan would feed him back at the camp. While he knew the mush provided many, _many_ benefits, to which most he didn't know of, the vegetables were more filling and tasty, and Naruto found himself eternally grateful.

Of course, even though Naruto was not at permanent residence of the camp, his training with Konan was not halted. She would send pieces of paper for him, the paper often times having his training schedule written on it.

He would follow these loyally.

It was unhealthy. His body was something disgusting, something revolting, something _dangerous_. No child should ever have to deal with the forced acceleration of their body like that. Constant growing pains, shaky breathing at times, and the ever-present dull aching of his very bones and core. A terrible fate indeed.

The only sound that could drag him out of his repeated daydreaming was the insistent knocking on his door. Like now.

Kakashi walked in once he got confirmation from the resident. Hauling the basket of edibles into the apartment, he whistled at the sight. It was bare, much too bare for anyone half-sane to live in. Of course, with the stipends the boy received, he didn't blame him.

A bookshelf stood in the corner, the wood dyed a deep blue. It was sparsely filled out, with a few books here and there. Otherwise, it was void. Directly under him was a black rug, with two love seats and a simple lamp resting easily on the rug. He interestingly noted the lack of a television set.

"Hey Naruto. How are you doing?"

Taking out a few containers of spices, Naruto glanced over at the older of the two. "I'm okay. Would you like to stay for some spaghetti? Almost finished."

Kakashi thought about it. And shrugged. It was roughly dusk, and he had no plans, so why not? And besides, he was interested in how his master's son was handling himself. Taking a seat by the window, Kakashi patiently read his novel while Naruto hummed away.

"Need any help?"

"No thank you, Mr. Hatake, I have it good."

Kakashi couldn't help but grimace at what Naruto had said. _Mr._ Hatake, as if he was a senior citizen. How rude.

It was honestly amazing that a six year old could cook like this. Of course, Naruto _had_ asked for some recipe books for his sixth birthday, and with how accelerated his literacy and worth ethic were, due to help from both Kakashi and Yugao, who would occasionally fill in for him if he was out on a mission, he couldn't be too surprised.

Naruto was incredibly efficient. He kept to himself, he didn't bother those around him, and he was extremely polite and easy to work with. As if the gods themselves had blessed the Nation with another prodigy, this boy was the perfect candidate for being the next legendary shinobi.

Unfortunately, that didn't come without its drawbacks.

Naruto was socially introverted. Besides himself, Yugao, and Hiruzen, it was a constant struggle just to get Naruto to even communicate with other people. If he didn't know you, it would be a nightmare just for him to even reveal a single detail about himself.

He wasn't a robot like the ROOT operatives, he was just a little awkward at times. Not for lack of effort, however, as Naruto would try his best to fit in whenever given the chance, but he just can't catch onto a flow for conversation like any of his peers.

Sliding a string of noodles onto a plate, Naruto handed his pseudo caretaker the food and fixed his own meal. It was a simple dish, spaghetti with beef and flavored with garlic, but nonetheless, Kakashi enjoyed it for what it was. It wasn't the _best_ meal he had ever ate, but it was delicious for something a six year old could make.

"Are you excited for the Academy?"

"Meh. I don't have anyone to play with, nor do I have… parents. It will be a fun way to pass time."

That was the other thing that bugged Kakashi. His vernacular. He wasn't surprised, as mentioned why before, but it was unnatural to hear a child speak in such an advanced way. It pained him in the same way it would pain a mother to see her baby boy become independent.

He decided to change the subject. "Have any idea about what study you want to focus on?"

Naruto gulped some water. "Ninjutsu, preferably. I have lots of chakra and I could use it for sweet jutsus!"

Even if he is mature for his age, Kakashi thought, he was still just that. A kid.

"Well, orientation is next week. To be enrolled into the Academy, you need a p- guardian," Kakashi caught his slip up. "and Lord Third will act as your guardian."

"Why?"

"He is technically your adoptive guardian."

"Why?"

"Because you are an orphan."

Naruto nodded sagely, as if that answered the purpose of the universe.

"I see. Well, I hope to be shinobi one day, just like you, Mr. Hatake."

It was an innocent comment, nothing harmful or hurtful intended, but regardless, it had an undesired result. A quite nasty one.

"Naruto, listen to me, and listen to me well. I am not someone who you want to be. I'm a monster, and I have done some truly awful things in my time. I don't want you to have to go through the same things I went through."

Was what he wanted to say, so damn badly. Instead, Kakashi remained silent, his words choking and dying in his throat, and giving a polite goodbye, he left, leaving Naruto once again, alone.

-E

"I can't do it. I can't I can't I can't Ican't Ican't I-" Naruto was quickly cut off by something.

Or more accurately, some _one._

"Relax my boy, everything will be fine." Hiruzen Sarutobi was the third Fire Shadow that Konohagakure had produced, and arguably, the best they have had so far. He was _the_ ninja that Hidden Leaf soldiers modeled themselves after, he was practically a god among mortals.

The two of them, Hiruzen and Naruto, were inside Naruto's apartment. It was the day of the orientation, and they had another hour and a half to kill before they had to get to the Academy.

"Naruto, I'm making your favorite dish, garlic seasoned salmon. You better wash up before I finish."

Naruto paused. "With no onions?" he whispered.

Hiruzen suppressed a giggle at the young boy. "Yes my boy, with no onions. Now run along!"

Naruto disappeared into the back woods of his apartment, intent on washing his hands for his grandfather- _figure_. Unfortunately, not his actual grandfather.

Looking into the mirror of his cave, he whimpered softly. Who even was he? He had no family, no friends- actually, he had three friends, but they rarely could see him. The closest thing he had to a friend was the local stray cat that sometimes lounged on his window seal, and even then, it would quickly vanish as fast as it appeared when he would try to pet it.

He couldn't really consider Obito and Konan friends. They were his teachers, and outside of the help they (and by extension the rest of the Akatsuki) loaned to him, they couldn't honestly say they cared much for him.

Yeah sure, he was strong, they had trained him since birth and he was approaching what a novice genin would be after graduating, but it wasn't enough to them. They wanted him to be a monster.

A heartless, emotionless _monster_.

Walking back to the foyer, the aroma of salmon enticed him to hurry up and sit down. Grabbing the plate from the shadow himself, Naruto ate the fish without a second thought.

Hiruzen grinned with a fatherly pride, but it was forced. He couldn't smile, not now. The Uchiha were getting… testy, if he were being polite about the situation. In reality, he would say it was far, _far_ more complicated.

His next in line was Shisui Uchiha, a prodigious warrior who could fight with the best of the very best. He was an S-Ranked animal, a demon on the battlefield who slaughtered anyone who dared to cross paths with the colossus from the Uchiha.

Hiruzen knew both Shisui and Itachi Uchiha had unyielding loyalty to the village, and would sacrifice their very souls if it meant protecting the home that they loved. And, while he hoped it wouldn't have to go to those lengths, it also might mean that they would have to commit atrocities unheard of.

Sliding the plate to lay in front of his surrogate grandson, the two of them ate in silence. A million questions were flying through his head, yet he couldn't dare mutter a single of them.

"Did you make a plate for Mr. Whiskers?" Naruto suddenly asked.

He paused.

"I beg your pardon, Naruto, but _who_?"

"Mr. Whiskers. He's this cat that likes to sleep on my window every night. He never lets me pet him, but I leave food out for him to eat."

"Huh, I never thought to ask if you had pets."

Leaving a plate on the window seal, he beckoned Naruto to follow him, and they both walked to the orientation.

Later that evening, when he was returning Naruto to his house, they both didn't notice the scraps left on the plate

* * *

"How is he doing?"

The doctor paused, not quite sure of the answer himself.

"He is suffering no fatal or damaging injuries, but he has sustained chakra exhaustion and shows signs of a concussion. Otherwise, he is fine." Physically fine, that is.

"Well, how did his condition form?"

"Classified, orders from the 'kage himself. I will say it involves the _incident_ last night. Other than that, I am not legally allowed to say." A half truth.

"Will he recover soon?"

Silence.

"I don't know."

* * *

Naruto walked into his classroom, and the first thing he saw was the sight of one Sasuke Uchiha, which was rather odd, considering just two days ago, the boy was in a coma.

They never really talked, besides the occasional greeting, and Naruto wasn't about to change that pattern, so ignoring the sulking child, he took his seat in the top row of the classroom, watching from a far as his classmates conversed and offered their newfound sympathy and worry for the Uchiha.

Two loners. At least he is now not the only person who knows what is is like to be alone and miserable. Of course, he couldn't say he knew what the reverse was like either, as at least Sasuke _had_ a family. He had been alone from birth!

Class had started, and while he attempted to take notes, he couldn't help but be distracted by the young Uchiha.

It was crazy, having someone who knew what loneliness felt like. What having a perpetual darkness felt like. What having a living nightmare felt like. What having a personal hell felt like.

He could finally relate with someone besides the orphans he dreamed of and that damn stray cat that took residence on his window seal. The very idea of being able to relate to someone was laughable, absolutely crazy.

And yet, he was comforted by it. Enthralled, some would say.

Maybe Sasuke could be a potential ally, and not just a fellow Leaf shinobi?

He could only hope.

* * *

 **I am done with this chapter, and wow does it feel good to write once more. I will admit, it is probably trash, but hey, small steps! Just by reading it, it is already 100x better than the original story.**

 **Sorry if I seemed like I rushed through a lot of plot points in this chapter, I wanted to just get a general sense of what was going on in the world, and in the plot, mainly. Next chapter will be a lot more in-depth.**

 **Normally, my chapters are above 10k words, but since this was the intro chapter, it will be shorter. Next chapter will be graduation, team introduction, and team bonding.**

 **I hope I managed to satisfy at least one reader out there, but if not, then I tried my best!**

 **Remember, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Flaming or just general "this is shit, you are shit, eat shit, and pls go die." or anything similar will be promptly ignored.**

 **Have a great day!**


	2. Team 7

**-2-**

 **Team 7**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any parts of Naruto or its affiliates.**

 **Enjoy!**

The continuous chirping of the baby swallows was starting to grind on him. Rapping his knuckles against the wooden table, and with the impatient kick of his heel, Naruto was starting to wonder if he had enough power to murder a jounin.

Maybe it was just the general feeling of being disrespected, or maybe it was just pent up aggression and energy being wound up inside of him, but he was almost sure the feeling wasn't exclusive to him.

Looking at his fellow teammates, he could guess that they, or at least Sasuke above all else, were growing mildly agitated. It was justified, of course, as they had been waiting for at least an hour already for their sensei to show his coward face.

Sasuke had been in, what appeared to him as, the exact same position as he had been this morning. Both hands clasped in front of his face, a seemingly permanent scowl draped on his head, with a glare so fierce it would pierce through the heavens.

Naruto snorted in amusement. The boy was about as antisocial as himself, yet deep down he knew the both of them relied on each other, in a sense. Always partnering up for group work, for practice spars, and for seemingly anything and everything they could partner up for.

Of course, he knew it was because Sasuke found him to be the only competent shinobi in what was essentially the entire building. But of course, Sasuke thought of him to be inferior to himself, which came as no surprise.

Naruto knew that was false. Not false as in he believed it to be false, but false as in it was objectively miles away from the truth. If he had to be honest with himself, he could kick Sasuke's ass about six different ways.

He would let the Uchiha live in his fantasy land for however long he wanted to live there, but when the day arrived that Sasuke challenged him to a fight, oh boy would it feel immensely satisfying to pop that bubble with absolutely no remorse.

Turning towards the most social of the three, Naruto held no real strong opinion, one way or the other.

Sakura Haruno was simultaneously the most normal of the three, and the most odd of the three. She was a social bunny, so to speak, and wanted to be friends with almost anything that had a pulse.

She was probably the best equipped of them for fine precision chakra work, such as medical ninjutsu and genjutsu, but other than those aspects, she was, as much as he hated to say it, a liability.

She had the book smarts and the control, but lacked other qualities, such as battle instinct and physical strength. She could do everything as instructed, but Naruto had a feeling that once it came to actual combat she would fold harder than a piece of Konan's origami.

Kind of worked out, in Naruto's mind anyways, as Sasuke had battle instinct and battle smarts, Sakura had the book smarts and control, and Naruto was a weird fusion of everything a ninja should be.

He may not have been as potent at ninjutsu as Sasuke, or smart enough to know the velocity of a kunai like Sakura, but he was the most well rounded out of the three of them. He was physically gifted, had a metric ton of chakra, and had, as described by Iruka a few times, 'savage battle instinct".

Feeling a pair of eyes on her, Sakura twisted her head to see what was causing the hair on her neck to stand at attention. She knew it could be only one of two people, and the person she wanted attention from the most almost never granted her what she wanted.

"Hey, Naruto, is it?" Sakura asked with a genuine smile.

"Yes."

The chirping continued.

"Are you excited to meet our new sensei?"

"If he's always going to be this late, then not really. What about you, Sasuke?"

The only reply he got back was an annoyed grunt.

Shrugging to himself, Naruto turned back to the window, listening to the peaceful chirps, alone in his thoughts. No further words were spoken between the trio, the awkward tension filling the air with no remorse.

After a few more minutes, Naruto silently twisted his head towards the classroom door, picking up on a familiar chakra personality heading towards them. He mentally sighed; Iruka hadn't told them their sensei names, and now he knew why.

The door opened, and the other two looked on impatiently. "Hello. Sorry for being late, a black cat crossed my path."

Kakashi looked on at the three hopefuls in front of him. Two orphans and a green. A charming group of kids to put the future of Konoha onto.

"You all seem boring. Meet me on the roof, five minutes." And with that, he seemingly dissipated into a white smoke, no evidence provided that he once stood in front of them.

He gave no impression that he was annoyed or even surprised, but only a sigh. Jumping out of his seat with a hop, Naruto beckoned the two others to follow him towards the roof, his knuckles lightly grazing the rusted safety railing.

Pushing on the safety door, it was bolted shut from the other side, and with a few hard knocks, Kakashi sheepishly opened the door. "Sorry about that, I tend to forget they bolt this shut."

"If it's an emergency exit, how are they supposed to leave if it's locked from the outside?"

"Who said it was an emergency exit?"

Naruto merely narrowed his eyes, and if the shaking of his head was any indication, he was perplexed at the purpose of the lock bolt, or even why it was there in the first place. Sasuke and Sakura followed him through the doorway, the both of them sitting on various figures on the rooftop, waiting patiently for their teacher to continue.

Kakashi took a seat in front of them. "Now, how about introductions? You know, likes, dislikes, all that jazz?"

Sakura looked slightly dazed, thoughts of confusion on her mind. "How about you show us an example, sensei?"

"Very well. My name is Kakashi Hatake, jounin of the Hidden Leaf, and I am twenty-six years old. My likes are personal, as are my dislikes, and my dreams? Hmm… much too mature for the lot of you. Now, how about you, Sakura Haruno?"

She gulped nervously. She wasn't really given much of an example to work with, but perhaps she could wing it and be satisfactory. Then again, perhaps not.

"My name is Sakura Haruno, genin for Konohagakure, and I am twelve years old. My likes include strong kunoichi and Sasuke, and my dislikes are that dumb Ino and people who insult my forehead! My dream is to become a recognized kunoichi and eventually start a family of my own." Sakura finished with a blossoming smile, blushing slightly at going so in-depth.

"Very good Sakura. Now, how about Sasuke, hmm?"

"Tch, fine. My name is Sasuke, proud member of the Uchiha clan! My likes… don't have many. Dislikes… My dream is to _avenge_ my clan."

"A little mysterious, but that is fine. Now, how about you, Naruto?"

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, genin of Konohagakure, and I am twelve years old. My likes include the old man and my sister Yugao, and my dislikes include onions and paper cuts. My dream is to become Hokage and make all my friends proud!"

He didn't show it on the outside, but inside, Kakashi couldn't help but marvel at the purity Naruto possessed. He knew Naruto was aware of the fox, and why the village was less than welcoming when it came to him, but to maintain such a loyalty towards the Leaf…

Naruto was destined to become a legendary ninja, whether he wanted to or not.

"Well, that's quite noble of you, Naruto. Now, I don't want to keep you three here any longer, so I'll make it quick. Be at Training Ground 7 at 9:30 in the morning tomorrow, and I'd suggest you don't eat breakfast. We'll get down to the nitty gritty of being a ninja tomorrow, I have a test of sorts for you all."

With that, Kakashi once again disappeared into thin air, as if he was a ghost. Sasuke grunted at the sudden exit, and turned towards his two partners. "If there is nothing more to say, I'm leaving."

Sakura squinted slightly. "Actually, Sasuke, I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me?"

Sasuke pondered for a fraction of a second. "No." And with that sentiment shared, he started to walk down the stairs, leaving the academy for the last time. Hopefully, anyways. Sakura just sighed in disappointment at the rejection, not surprised but still disheartened.

* * *

Closing the door to his house, Sasuke took a swooping glance at the place. A single television stand in the corner, with a smooth, turquoise silk rug laying softly on the ground. Two sofas were situated against the wooden walls, with a glass table planted firmly between the love seats. A slight layer of dust adorned almost every piece of furniture in the room.

"So bland..."

He moved past the drab decor. Sitting at the dining table, he opened up a book, and flipping to the middle page, he continued to read. Struggling to find enjoyment out of this, he closed the guidebook and stretched his limbs. He looked at the clock.

4:38.

"I hate this..."

* * *

Naruto walked into Training Ground 7, eyeing the battlefield curiously. Nothing seemed to be out of placed. A few sand bags, a battered training dummy, and a multitude of wooden targets, some marked, some not. Setting down his duffel bag and taking out a few kunai, he began his training.

It was currently the wee hours of the morning. He had nothing better to do before the meeting with Kakashi. If he was being honest, he had no incentive to even be here, all he wanted was a source of income, and being a ninja would grant him that wish.

Of course, he was forced into being a ninja due to circumstances that he had no control over, mainly being selected to become the savior of ninjas and the nation itself, but who was he to fight against a man-made destiny?

This was his routine every single morning. Wake up, shower, get prepared, and practice for literal hours until the academy began. It was boring, yeah, but he had no other alternative besides sleep, and sleep, in his opinion, was a waste of time.

And besides, Naruto was used to being alone, so this was no big deal to him. He had nobody in his house besides himself, meaning he could theoretically do whatever he so desired. Too bad he longed for a single person to disobey. At least if he had that, he would know what it was like to have someone be protected by.

He had many hours to sacrifice to training. He decided to practice his wind jutsu. That would be a good aspect of his arsenal to train.

* * *

It was 9:58. Kakashi still wasn't in front of them. Naruto felt him minutes ago suddenly appear in the trees surrounding them, but decided to keep whatever down time he had still, and let the older man be, content on meditating.

Sasuke, while he hadn't noticed their sensei in the tree tops, had also decided to meditate, wanting to impress his teacher. He would never say it out loud, but he put a lot of stock into making first impressions.

Sakura just looked on in confusion. She was wondering why the other two weren't as nervous as her. This would determine their future together! Or at least, she thought it would. She wasn't too sure about what they were here for, besides it being a test.

When it hit 10:03, Kakashi decided to bless his students with his presence. Hopping to be in front of them, he gave a pleasant eye-smile. "Morning everyone. Ready for the test, my cute little genins?"

Sasuke smirked with a ballooning confidence. "About time you showed up, sensei. I was worried you were scared of us."

Kakashi merely chuckled with a hidden mirth. "What kind of jounin would I be if I was scared of my own genin?"

With that sentiment said, Kakashi took out a timer and two bells. Clipping the bells to his waist, he twisted the timer. "You three have until twelve noon to get these bells from me. If you fail, you all go back to the Academy for an additional year."

Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion, obviously confused on Kakashi's game. "There are three of us, but two bells."

Kakashi answered the silent question. "Whoever doesn't receive the bell will be sent back to the Academy. So no matter what, one of you will not return to Team 7." He enjoyed the looks of horror planted on Sasuke and Sakura, but with the obvious eye roll from Naruto, he knew that the blond was suspicious of the true meaning of the test.

"You may begin."

The three genin all dispersed.

* * *

Naruto fled deeper into the thick foliage and crouched down behind an over sized bush. Drawing a sharpened kunai and twirling it effortlessly, he flexed his chakra in an attempt to find his wayward companions.

This was a manageable situation. Sure, all three were heavily outclassed and could easily be eliminated, non lethally of course, that didn't detract from the fact that the rules given to them were a distraction. A hoax, a ruse, whatever you wanted to call it, this was one.

Thinking back to what Iruka had pounded into their brains in the academy, it was obvious Kakashi wanted the three rookies to work together and formulate some form of plan in order to take him down, or at least, try to take him down. Now, if they succeeded, that would be the issue.

He managed to find Sasuke a few miles north of his current location, but Sakura was off the grid. The idea of Kakashi taking the weak link out first crossed his mind.

Speaking of which, he couldn't feel Kakashi's chakra either, which worried him immensely. Kakashi had either left the training area they were in and completely disregarded the genin, or…

He was hiding his chakra.

Twisting his feet to the side, Naruto began to concentrate on the current situation. Kakashi was more than likely hunting each of them down, trying to eliminate the three before they could group together.

That's when he felt it.

Soaring into the sky from a chakra enhanced jump, Naruto barely avoided what would have been a monstrous attack from the ground, and with his eyes narrowed, he saw Kakashi glancing up at him in the sky, a look of momentary shock on his face. "Color me impressed Naruto, you have good reactionary skills. A marvelous trait to have in the ninja force."

Landing on a skyward tree branch, Naruto weighed his options. He was outclassed, and heavily so. He was a top genin, probably bordering on low chunin due to the training from the Akatsuki. The skill and dedication was present in him, but this opponent was different.

This was a war veteran, an elite jounin who had probably murdered or executed countless upon countless. This was a true warrior, a model shinobi, one who wouldn't think twice to put a kunai through the back of your throat in the name of Konoha.

Flashing through numerous hand seals, Naruto built a chunk of air into his lungs, and with a shout, fired numerous amounts of razor sharp wind blades.

" _How does a genin know a C-Ranked jutsu? And an elemental release? I guess Yugao taught him a few more tricks than I assumed."_ Kakashi seemingly melded into the tree that was behind him, dodging the blades as they sliced the ground he once stood on.

Jumping from the tree he was situated on, Naruto landed on the ground and started to run towards Sasuke's last known position. He needed to regroup, and fast. He could _not_ afford to fight Kakashi head on.

* * *

Sasuke raced over to where he felt a flare of chakra. He assumed one of his two teammates had directly engaged with their sensei, and he wanted a crack at the jounin as well. Jumping onto a tree branch, Sasuke looked around.

Before he knew it, Sasuke was thundering through the air, a pounding headache resting gently on his temple. Shifting to an upright position, he looked up at his attacker.

"You always have to look out for openings, Sasuke. Naruto seemed more than quick to dodge, I expected the same out of you. Perhaps he is better than you?" Kakashi eye-smiled down at the young Uchiha, his attitude never changing.

Sasuke grit his teeth in raw fury. He wasn't mad at being attacked, the jounin was right, but he _was_ mad at Kakashi egging him on. As talented as Naruto was, there was _no way_ the blond was better than him!

Drawing three shuriken, Sasuke began his assault. Flipping once through the air to gain momentum, he attacked Kakashi from the front, landing a series of punches to the jounin, who casually deflected all of them with his forearms.

Dodging a sweeping kick from the younger of the two, Kakashi sighed. He had let Naruto get away on purpose, hoping that he would reach Sasuke before the Uchiha had reached them both, but it appears he was mistaken.

Grabbing the boy's right foot, Kakashi was about to launch a counteracting kick when he felt a presence rapidly approaching from his side. Hurriedly releasing his iron clad grip on Sasuke's foot, he narrowly avoided a raging kunai from cutting the bells off his waist.

" _He used the distraction of my fight with Sasuke… clever, Naruto, very clever."_

* * *

Dropping to the floor from the tree top, Sasuke looked at his savior. "What are you doing, Naruto, I had everything under control!" He ground out, his fists clenched tightly. Naruto snorted shortly in reply.

"In case you weren't aware, Kakashi was about to kick you into next week, so a little thanks would be appreciated. Now, listen up, we need to work together in order to take Kakashi on." Sasuke glared fiercely at the blond.

"I don't need help, especially from you, Naruto, so kick rocks!"

Naruto scowled at the tone. "Sasuke, you arrogant fool, the only way we have a chance against Kakashi is by working together, so drop the god complex and help me find Sakura!"

As much as he hated to admit it, Sasuke knew the boy was right. Kakashi was far stronger than any of them hoped to fight, and despite the both of them being extraordinarily talented, they knew that if either of them went solo, Kakashi would dispatch them almost effortlessly.

Meanwhile, their leader was watching from high in the trees, his lone eye resting on the scene before him. With a small but genuine smile resting beneath his mask, he knew that this team would prosper into something special. Something special indeed.

He saw the potential in all three of his students. Naruto Uzumaki, son of his late sensei, jinchuriki for the cursed Fox. Sasuke Uchiha, prodigy of the once great clan, younger brother to Itachi Uchiha.

Which left Sakura Haruno…

She was, and he truly meant no offense, the weakest link out of the three. She had limited taijutsu, practically zero ninjutsu, and had pitiful chakra pools. Her only saving grace was her apparent knack for chakra control and her genjutsu skills.

He would need to work with her the most to catch her up. He was sure that Naruto and Sasuke would survive on their own, assuming they had a little bit of guidance to propel them to greatness.

He would let them group up and initiate a team attack. Even if they didn't get the bells, assuming they focused on the team work aspect of combat, he didn't see any reason why he shouldn't accept them.

* * *

The deadly duo glanced down at the pitiful sight before them. Their third teammate, Sakura, was knocked unconscious and was laying on the thick dirt rather ungracefully. Naruto crouched down and shifted her body to be upright.

"Genjutsu, minor chakra exhaustion. She'll be fine, just give her some space." Naruto took out a small flask of water and doused the pinkette with the cold fluid, the younger girl sputtering awake.

"W-where are we?" Sakura stuttered in fear, glancing around to see if their sensei was still lingering. Naruto glanced back momentarily at Sasuke, who merely huffed and looked away in indignation.

"We need your help, Sakura. We can't hope to pass this test without you."

Naruto explained the situation to her. Glancing at each other, they began to formulate a plan.

* * *

"You all failed to retrieve the bells from me." Kakashi began, and putting his book away, he scoped the three students for their reactions. Sakura looked ready to burst into tears, Sasuke was looking anywhere but at him, and Naruto was fearless, his poker face unwavering.

" _At least one of them has guts in the face of trouble._ " Kakashi thought in slight disappointment, hoping that the other two would accept their hardships.

"However, what I saw impressed me," he started once more, causing the other two to glance at him curiously. "I saw teamwork, I saw encouragement, and I saw what it takes to be a Konohagakure shinobi. You all have your faults, and all have your rough edges, but for the most part, you are all talented in your own ways."

Kakashi looked at the three genin. "Welcome to Team 7."

* * *

Darkness was all he saw. His senses were going haywire, and ear shattering sounds were assaulting him. He couldn't feel anything, his sense of sight, touch, and smell gone. He could blindly hear the sounds of mechanical workings whirring around him, and he could guess that he was in a hospital.

He couldn't move his body at all. Any attempt was met with a piercing pain, and with a groan, he tried to activate his Sharingan, but found that chakra control was practically impossible.

Slowly but surely, he was starting to get his sight back. First a blinding white light made itself known, but after a few minutes, he could clearly see his holding room.

To his right was a heart rate machine, his body hooked up quite snugly. Glancing to his left, he saw a metal tray with a few tools resting softly against the sheet. He could idly feel the feeding tube connected to his mouth, and with a grunt, he tried to move his arms to rip it out, but nothing happened.

A clicking, rattling sound drew his attention to the door. A nurse walked in, holding a clipboard. The nurse briefly looked up, and raising his eyebrows, he immediately left the room. A pregnant pause was left in his wake.

Then, the pause gave birth to a calamity. An onslaught of doctors and nurses rushed into his room, everyone hounding him for questions. " _What the hell is going on? And where is Itachi, I can't feel his chakra? In fact, I can't feel any chakra from the Uchiha compound..."_

"How are you feeling, Lord Uchiha?" A doctor asked after a moment, a glazed look protruding from his narrow eyes. The man narrowed his eyes dangerously, and after swallowing a bit of saliva, managed to force out a few words.

"Bring me… bring me the Hokage..."

"B-but sir-"

"Bring me the Hokage… now!" A spike of potent killing intent leaked involuntarily from the patient, and everyone in the room whimpered a tiny bit, obviously not used to the feeling of horrible dread.

The man didn't wait long for his request to come true, as in a heartbeat, the legendary man, Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, was situated calmly in front of him.

"Hello, Shisui Uchiha. I know you must be confused as to what is going on."

Shisui snorted indignantly, rolling his eyes silently as he calculated how to say his thoughts. "What is going on? I feel literally no chakra from the Uchiha sector, and my eye… I am only seeing out of one eye."

Sarutobi sighed deeply and pulled up a chair, hesitantly taking a seat. Lighting his pipe, he began.

"Shisui, you've been in a coma for five years." Hiruzen paused to catch his thoughts, and commanding both the hidden ANBU and the medical staff, he began again, not looking forward to Shisui's eventual wrath.

"What I am going to tell you is an S-Ranked secret, punishable by immediate execution should it be discovered you reveal this to anyone not permitted to know, so tread carefully."

Shisui nodded slightly, a dark gleam glowing in his coal eye.

"Itachi Uchiha slaughtered the Uchiha clan under the orders of Danzo Shimura. Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi's younger brother, was the only Uchiha who survived, besides both Itachi and yourself."

Shisui was stunned. He had no idea what the hell had happened, or even how he had ended up in his coma, as he could assume that is what he just awoke from. This was all stupid, asinine, like one big joke, but he knew something was horribly wrong.

"What happened, Lord Hokage?"

"The Uchiha clan was conspiring an attempt to overthrow my reign. I was trying to find a peaceful means to end this conflict, but they wouldn't accept any peace proposals. Danzo went behind my back to order the slaughtering of the entire Uchiha clan, and Itachi carried it out."

Shisui was confused for multiple reasons. "What happened to me?"

"Itachi, after he carried out the executions, came to me afterwards and informed me of the news. He found you unconscious and heavily injured, with multiple blood stains on the surrounding grass, but you were bandaged up and recovering. We both don't know who attacked you, or what even happened that night involving you, just that you were in a deep coma."

"Why not have a Yamanaka read my mind while I was out?"

"We tried, but Inoichi informed us that your mind was heavily damaged by an unknown genjutsu, and the risks of reading your mind could potentially cause your death. Instead, we hooked you up to life support and hoped for the best. I scheduled you for ten years, and instead, you woke up today, five years in, five years left."

"Where is Itachi now? And why even tell me all of this?"

"Itachi… joined a group of S-Rank ninja known as the Akatsuki, and is giving inside information to me as a spy. For now, he hasn't been informed of their plans, but he tells me they are relatively neutral to the business of the Elemental Nations."

He caught his breath.

"I'm telling you all of this because as the oldest Uchiha remaining, you are now clan leader, and since you were also involved with the massacre, I am legally obligated to inform you of the events that transpired."

Shisui tried to lift his arms but found he couldn't once more. "Five years?"

Hiruzen flinched lightly. "Yes my boy, five years. You are looking at extensive physical therapy in order to even regain full motor functions, never mind working towards what your former skill level used to be. I fear, but fully believe, you will never be the former Kage level nin you used to be, and I am truly apologetic for that."

Shisui merely grinned coyly, obviously planning something to counteract this. "Trust me, I can get back to my old skill level. Just give me a few years, I'll be right back where I was."

The Fire Shadow answered with his own smirk, content on hearing the surefire words coming from the young man resting patiently in front of him. "I'll send for the best physical therapists in the nation as soon as I can, rest assured, Shisui. You are not alone in this ordeal. For now, I have already requested for a Hyuga to help you with chakra control."

Shisui scoffed slightly. "I may be a newborn baby right now, Hokage, but I am not helpless," releasing a carefree grin, Shisui laughed out loud. "I appreciate the help, but I can regain relative control over my chakra given time. I could probably do it today if I tried really hard."

Standing up, Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe, and looked at the wall clock. "Goodness, I should be heading back to my office, it is about the time of day for the jounin leaders to inform me of how the current crop of genin did. If you could pardon an old man, I need to get going."

"No worries here, Lord Hokage. Just you wait, I'll be walking back into your office by the end of the week, and that's a promise!"

Hiruzen's eyes widened very slightly but otherwise his body remained unchanged. " _He's truly like Naruto in so many ways, almost as much as Obito was..."_

With that, he ordered two ANBU to be stationed at all times in Shisui's room, intent on keeping his recovering prodigy safe and sound. Two nurses and a doctor walked past him as he took the scenic route back to his office, enjoying the time away.

* * *

Flopping down onto his bed, Naruto glanced over at his window seal. Mr. Whiskers was sleeping peacefully on the boarding, and Naruto was happy that the cat had finally accepted him.

He thought of his teammate. Sasuke was like him in so many ways. They were both alone in the world, and although the situations were extremely different, he couldn't help but find peace and solace with the fact that he could relate to someone his age.

He finally had a family.

None of the Akatsuki could train in person with him anymore, as Itachi Uchiha had joined and caused them to disassociate with anything related to Naruto, so all of them wrote scrolls for him to work on.

He was finally on his way to making a name for himself.

* * *

 **Eh. Not really happy with this chapter. I hope at least one person enjoyed this!**

 **Reviews are never required, but always welcomed. If you enjoyed this chapter, please think about leaving a review! Means so much to us writers!**

 **Yes, Shisui is alive, I hinted at that last chapter. I'm sure whoever read that chapter assumed it was Sasuke, but surprise, it was not.**

' **Till next time!**


	3. Man On The Moon

**-3-**

 **Man On The Moon**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its affiliates. This is a fan made work.**

 **So, I was already expecting this story to not be as popular as the original, and I was right. It is nowhere near as popular as the original. I am okay with this, however.**

 **I write for myself, and for anyone who wants to read, but mainly myself. I will forever and always write for myself first and foremost, no matter what I say. This is a great way for me to relieve any stress that I have, and it helps me grow as both a writer and a person.**

 **I truly hope I make at least one person satisfied with my chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

Kakashi shivered, a cool breeze groping his body as he walked along the dirt path. There were few lights out in the dark, a majority of the light being given by the ever present moon. A black cat made itself known with a yawn, and everything was serene.

The only sight to behold was the dirt path in front of him. He could finally enjoy some peace from all the memories that plagued his mind. He was free for the time being.

Glancing over at a branching path, he felt obligated to check it out, but he didn't know why. He had never taken it before, and he sure as hell didn't know what lay in wait if he were to follow it. With a shrug, he weighed his options.

Get home and get some much needed sleep, or follow his gut and take a slight detour? As a human being, the choice was obvious.

As a shinobi, the choice was obvious.

He walked down the path, inhaling the intoxicating scent of the foliage surrounding him, and with a content sigh, he glanced up at the sky. Stars upon stars lit up the milky night sky and gave the impression that a thousand bombs were exploding at once.

This was serene, this was peace, this was tranquility; He would need to do this more often, lest he fall into the life of boredom and normality. This was quite all right in his book. Quite all right indeed.

He rounded the next corner calmly, looking around to see his surroundings. He could tell he was in a park of sorts, but personally, he had never visited said park before. This was all very foreign and new to him. He would have to visit this park more often, preferably in the day time.

Kakashi was alone, he was almost certain of it. Nobody was even close to being around, and while he couldn't sense chakra like a sensor, the confidence he held in his own abilities to gather intelligence was astounding.

Being alone was something he was used to, something that he made a part of who he was as a person. Of course, he had romantic interests, like Anko or… actually, Anko was the only person, male or female, that had ever tried to make a move on him in recent times, and that, albeit only slightly, concerned him.

He was a good looking man, had a decent career, great pay. He had everything going for him! Of course, he knew that nearly nobody in the world could ever see the true him, due to blocking everyone out, but that was besides the point. He was a great catch, dammit!

He sighed; that was enough of the depressing thoughts, he had to keep an upbeat and happy attitude about him, lest he want to rejoin the ANBU for a second depression session, and God knows that he would probably never recover a second time through.

Reaching a lake that rested lightly in the middle of the park, Kakashi took a seat by a nearby bench and yawned softly, drowsiness overtaking his body. It was far past his bedtime, but for some reason, he was compelled to go towards this park, like it was almost destiny.

The snapping of a twig a few paces to his right is what eventually drew him out of his day dreaming. Drawing and loosely clutching his favorite romance novel, Kakashi casually strolled down the path once more, not at all disturbed by the noise.

It was more than likely a raccoon or a wild dog, searching for scraps to hold them over until the nocturnal animals surfaced for the night. Whatever the case, he was sure that it was nothing that could pose him harm.

The artificial lighting of the lamp posts around him was a welcomed guidance for him, as he wasn't quite sure where he was going for the time being. And when thinking about it, he wasn't quite sure where he was going at all. He hoped that something would strike him soon, something that would give him a purpose for the time being.

Looking forward, he saw a peculiar sight, one that he wasn't honestly expecting at all to be seen. One Naruto Uzumaki, sitting on a wooden, half rotted park bench, intently watching ducks and geese swim in front of him, chucking tiny pieces of bread for the animals.

This was odd. Odd as hell. Naruto was normally at his house for the remainder of the day after a team practice or D-Ranked mission. For some reason, Kakashi was extremely interested in what Naruto would be up too at this time of night.

"You know, Naruto, bread isn't healthy for a bird's diet. Try some fruits instead, or seeds." Kakashi leaned forward onto the bench, and wobbling slightly, took in the sight that Naruto was taking in.

The water ran for seemingly miles, with various animals and vegetation floating harmlessly around. The poplar trees surrounding the vast lake gave it an elegant appearance. Overall, the view was quite nice.

"Sorry Kakashi-sensei, I was feeding them with the only thing I had with me."

Kakashi internally snorted in amusement, but instead opted to stay quiet. "You carry bread everywhere you go?"

Naruto couldn't hide the blush of embarrassment on his face. Turning back towards the lake, he sighed in sadness.

"Is there something you want to talk about, Naruto?"

He was hesitant, but eventually he opened up to his teacher. "I just feel like I'm so alone sometimes. I have this stupid fox inside of me, causing nobody to really want to be around me."

Turning towards his master, Naruto glanced up at the lone eye peering curiously back at him. "I mean, Sakura and Sasuke are both neutral towards me, but not anybody else! I grew up alone, I have no parents, the closest thing to family would be you, Yugao, and the Old Man himself, but that isn't good enough."

He pointed at the blazing moon. "I feel like I'm on the moon sometimes, Kakashi-sensei. Like I'm just all on my own out here, nobody around me except for nothing."

Kakashi took a seat next to Naruto. "I'm sorry, Naruto."

The boy glanced cautiously at the older man. "For what, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi shook his head in self-disappointment. "For not being there for you as much as I should have been growing up."

Naruto laughed joyfully. "Nonsense, sensei. You did your best, I know you had duties for the village. I know you visited me whenever you could." And he was being truthful. He was not mad at all towards the scarecrow.

Kakashi glanced up at the moon. "I guess you are onto something, Naruto. Can I tell you something about myself?"

"Go ahead."

"Sometimes, I feel the same as you," he wasn't quite sure why he was revealing all of this to Naruto, but he was. Maybe it was because he was so close to his late sensei, Naruto's father, but something was causing him to spill his heart.

"I wanted to take you in, to try and prevent you from growing up the same way as me, but obviously that wasn't possible. I was an emotional wreck for multiple reasons. I went to alcohol to escape my pain, but that was temporary."

Naruto 'hmm'ed' in reply and glanced coyly at Kakashi. "So you are saying alcohol is a good method for me."

Kakashi eye-smiled back at the blond, amusement painted on his gaze. "Well, you are a legal adult, Naruto. But no, I am not condoning using alcohol as an escape method."

The two of them enjoyed the peaceful silence. Occasionally, a duck or a goose would waddle up to them and quack thoughtfully at the duo, before waddling slowly back the other way. The two of them didn't want to break the silence, even if the world was ending.

"Say, Naruto, it's getting pretty late, isn't it? Why don't you get to bed? We do have team training tomorrow." Naruto groaned in response, but offered no reply, instead only a sigh of resignation.

"Before you go, how about a team dinner tomorrow? A Team 7 bonding session, if you will. Would that be okay?"

If the immediate, piercing grin that adorned Naruto's face was any indication that it was a good idea, then Kakashi was sure he had struck a plan worthy of a Nara. It actually saddened him how depraved of social interaction Naruto was, something he intended to fix, or at least die trying to.

"Yatta! I mean, of course that would be okay, Kakashi-sensei! I would be thrilled to have my team over for a dinner! What time do you think would work best?"

Kakashi gave it a good few seconds of thought. "I'd say it really depends on you, but does six in the evening work for you, Naruto? I have a jounin meeting at seven-thirty, so that gives us roughly an hour and a half, and yes, I promise I'll be on time for the dinner."

Naruto merely narrowed his eyes in suspicion and obvious distrust at the words, but the genuine smile on his face betrayed the look on his face. "If you say so, Scarecrow. I _will_ hold you to that, Kakashi-sensei."

The man merely nodded his head back in understanding. "Wouldn't have it any other way, Naruto."

* * *

Sasuke walked into the training grounds that he had grown accustomed to every morning, a light scowl on his face. He was still slightly sore and tired from the chakra exercises he was performing yesterday, and his body was telling him to stay indoors and relax.

He spotted his blond teammate peering towards the main body of the surrounding forest blankly, his mind obviously somewhere else besides his current location. Sasuke merely shrugged.

This had been the process he was used to for a few days now. Arrive, meditate, train, missions, leave. It was quite dull, if he had to be honest. He wanted to be stronger, much more stronger than he currently was. After all, he was nothing but a foolish little brother…

Shaking clear of thoughts better left unmarked, the Uchiha took his customary seat against a mighty cypress tree. He sighed in resignation. One day he would make it out of this boring old place.

A few hours eventually passed and his leader was once more in front of the three students. "Now team, before we do anything more today," the day had barely started. "If it is okay with you two, I want to have a team bonding dinner at Naruto's house, courtesy of our favorite knucklehead here." At that, he affectionately rubbed Naruto's head, the blond slumping his shoulders slightly embarrassed.

"I don't have a problem with that Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura said, grinning slightly towards her orphaned teammate.

Sasuke, if he had a problem with the dinner, didn't bother to voice audible words, instead grunting and glancing the other direction. Kakashi sighed in response to Sasuke's response. This would be a long day today.

"The dinner will be at six, so get there at roughly five-thirty, please. Help Naruto set up and such," handing two small pieces of paper to Sasuke and Sakura, he continued. "that's his address."

Pocketing the slips, they both bowed slightly towards Naruto in thanks, and he found himself smiling in return. This wasn't so bad, come to think. Of course, he wasn't too sure if they were accepting because they enjoyed his presence, if it was the free food, or if it was because Kakashi implied attendance was not up for debate.

"Now that dinner is taken care of, we are going to start training for today. Tree walking will be what we start with."

Sakura raised her hand in confusion. "Sensei, what is tree walking?"

Kakashi eye-smiled in return. "Good question, Sakura. Tree walking, and by extension surface walking, is a vital tool in any ninja's arsenal." To demonstrate his point, he scaled the nearest tree, peering down at his two awestruck students.

Naruto merely looked on in interest.

Kakashi dropped down. "In order to cling to surfaces, you must channel chakra to the bottoms of your feet. Not too little, unless you want to drop immediately, but not too much, lest you want to be shot from the tree like a cannon."

Shooing them from their spots, Kakashi opened his book and read it carelessly, his lone eye devouring the book's contents, pupil racing from line to line and letter to letter, image to image, page to page.

Sakura took a tentative step onto a piece of bark, a small, thin line of chakra illuminating the bottom of her foot like a light bulb. She attempted to place her remaining foot onto the tree, but instead found her butt firmly planted on a patch of soil, a worm poking out in confusion at the extra weight.

Sakura frowned, obviously she didn't expect to get it down pat on the first try, but she didn't think her chakra control was _that_ bad! Maybe it wasn't, and this was just a new, foreign concept to her, but she would have to practice a lot more if she wished to achieve progress for her team, but more importantly, for herself.

Sasuke, as much as he didn't want to admit it, was absolutely frustrated. Absolutely livid would be a more apt description. He was from the famed Uchiha clan! An exercise of this level should _not_ be dragging him down this much. This was asinine on so many levels, and yet…

He glanced towards his left. The lone female of the team was about halfway to the top of the soaring tree, a careful and considered approach floating delicately on her heels. She had a bead of sweat rolling down her slender face, but other than that, along with the look of concentration adorning her face, she seemed to be calm.

Turning the other way, he saw that Naruto was already at the very top of the tree! "Naruto! How did you reach the top already?"

The genin merely shrugged nonchalantly, not perturbed by the fuming Uchiha gazing harshly up at him. "I read up on genin exercises at the library. You should try it sometime." Naruto grinned with a sly grin, flashing the boy a thumbs up.

Sasuke snarled at the bark, the same bark that seemed to be laughing coyly back at him. How dare that blond-headed fool! Who does he think he is?

He took another attempt at the exercise, but like the numerous attempts before, he was suddenly launched towards the ground, the ground beneath him having been torn up from the impacts before.

"You know, Sasuke," Kakashi drawled from his perch. "perhaps you should try to use less chakra. You _have_ been launched quite a few times." With that sentiment shared, he went back to reading his book, but it seemed to anyone who would be watching, his eye lingered at the very top of the page he was reading.

Sasuke huffed and turned back towards the tree. Gaining a running head start, he began his attempts once more, this time scaling a few more steps before ultimately sliding down the trunk.

Naruto tapped his chin in thought. Perhaps he should throw his fellow nin a bone?

"Sasuke," he called out softly, twirling a kunai in his hands. "Instead of trying with a running start, why not try first with baby steps, like Sakura?" As simple as it sounded to the blond, he knew the brunette's pride would surface, and surface harshly.

* * *

His mouth was open wide, like a maw.

This didn't sound right to him. No, not at all right… he was sure they were allies, so what was wrong? They didn't betray him, or else they would have immediately attacked him. This was something else all together.

"Nagato… what is the meaning of this?" Obito demanded, his tone even, despite the overwhelming rage that threatened to overtake him where he stood. His fists were clenched tightly, a few drops of blood surfacing from his palms. His breathing was ragged, the primal instincts of a natural hunter surfacing.

"Madara's plan for the moon-" "Is a hoax! It's a sham! It's complete and utter nonsense!" Obito shouted furiously, his Sharingan peering dangerously at the horribly thin man peering curiously back at him.

"…it's the only way to achieve total peace for the Elemental Nations. I am afraid, Obito Uchiha, that I will be going with this plan, whether you want to or not."

"What about Naruto, huh? He is a RESULT of our planning! Are you going to throw his life away after all of that?"

Nagato narrowed his ultimate eyes at the Uchiha in front of him. "Naruto is of no concern. We can find a way to extract the Kyuubi without causing harm to the boy. Now, you can either join us, or you can die trying to oppose a god."

"That's bullshit, Nagato, and you know it! There is no way that Naruto would survive an extraction of the demon, so why even try and lie to me like this? And what about you, Konan, Naruto is the direct result of you and your ideals and upraising, and you are ready to disown him and murder him in cold blood? He thinks of you as a mother figure, god dammit!"

Konan merely tilted her head and looked away from the sight of the furious Uchiha.

Nagato's patience had finally wore thin. "That is enough, Obito! We will find a way to obtain the fox without harming Naruto, and that is final! Now, either join us, or die fighting."

Obito shook his head in disgust, in furious anger, but no words of protest managed to slip out of his

Obito grit his teeth. This was bad. "Fine, I'll join in with your little plan, but I won't be the one to go after Naruto."

Nagato nodded in satisfaction. "Noted."

Obito, having said what he needed to, disappeared into a swirl, leaving a god and his angel to dwell in silence. They didn't trust Obito for a mere moment, but until the day came he double crossed them, he would not perish.

Meanwhile, Obito sighed into his mask. Of course, he wasn't going to go along with this plan, he would warn Naruto, and if need be, develop a contingency plan. He would keep Naruto away from Nagato, no matter the cost. He was vital to defeating Madara, and this was certain.

* * *

Jumping across the pathway, Naruto swiftly dodged a heavy strike from his battle partner, his instincts guiding him softly. Blocking two more punches, he shot a quick jab back, clipping Sasuke on his chin. Twisting his body to gain leverage, Sasuke attempted to deliver a kick.

Jumping backwards, Naruto threw a group of dulled shuriken at the Uchiha. Sasuke deflected the tools with a newly drawn kunai, a dangerous glint reflecting the sunlight. Naruto grinned wildly.

Naruto waited patiently for his partner to initiate once more. This would be good- no, this would be great! It would be an ultimate test to prove if he was growing stronger by the day. He would be ready for anyone if he kept this pace up.

Sasuke panted, grasping for any strands of air to refuel his metaphorical tank. He was used to these spars, but yet, he never seemed able to grab the upper hand, no matter how much he was able to predict Naruto's attacks.

He should be stronger than this! This should be child's play for him! And yet, here he was, once again coming short when it mattered the most. He was quite honestly disappointed in himself, if this was all he could do after swearing revenge against his older brother. He was such a fool, if he thought about it.

Sasuke immediately disappeared from sight, his outstanding speed coming into play for the first time this session. Unfortunately for the Uchiha, his blond companion was seemingly far, _far_ faster that he was.

Naruto swept his foot behind him, causing his fellow orphan to go careening into the ground. Delivering a swift ax kick, the boy managed to roll out of the way when Naruto's foot cracked mercilessly into the solid ground.

Before the fight could escalate any further, they were quickly brought to a halt, as to not disturb them before they _really_ got into the spar.

"Alright you two, that is quite enough. Naruto, I am impressed by your speed perception. Sasuke, I see you have improved your reaction speed from the genin test. Great stuff all around, to the both of you."

Naruto grinned bashfully at the praise, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Aw, it was nothing sensei." He chuckled in pride, offering a hand downwards at the Uchiha, who hesitantly took the proposal.

"That is all for today. No missions, as the Hokage as summoned me for some events that I must tend to. Meet at Naruto's apartment for the dinner by five-thirty, please. Dismissed."

* * *

Naruto settled into his bed after a steamy shower, his tense muscles slowly loosening themselves against the thick, soft cotton blankets. It was four-twenty. He would start cooking their dinner at around five sharp. He had plenty of time to sleep.

Snuggling deeply into the cocoon that was his bed, he glanced outside his apartment window. A light drizzle was making itself know, and the stray cat that was secretly his had taken shelter in his bedroom. It was still much too timid to actually lay on his bed, instead laying contently on the chair in the corner, but it was a stepping stone in the right direction.

"You silly cat."

Something felt off, however. Like something very bad had just taken place. Shrugging to himself, he rolled over.

That's when he felt a chakra source he did _not_ expect to sense. Shifting himself to be upright, he paused. No, that couldn't be his chakra…

Jumping up and putting a shirt on, he quickly walked to the door, and opening it, his fears were unfortunately confirmed. Obito Uchiha, mask and all, were staring down at him.

"Move, Naruto, I am risking our whole identity with me being here, so shut up and pay attention." Surprised at Obito's little rant, Naruto dumbly nodded his head and took a seat on his love sofa, staring with a fastened curiosity at his true master.

"Now, what I am about to say is going to be a shocker, no doubt, but you have to believe me, I swear I am not lying or deceiving you, okay?"

Naruto nodded.

"Pain has decided to eliminate you."

Naruto's heart seemed to skip in his chest, his breathing becoming much more terse and rapid. Swallowing a huge gulp, the only thing that Naruto was thinking about was the words said.

Eliminate. Of course that would mean killing, but why? What did he do wrong? Was he too weak? Was it because he was away from the Akatsuki?

"W-why?"

"Because Nagato is a damn fool, that's why. Let me explain the whole story to you, that's the only way you will get the full perspective."

Sitting down, Obito checked the clock. Four twenty-six.

"Before you were born, Madara Uchiha, one of the founding father's of Konohagakure, achieved something called the Rinnegan, or the most powerful dōjutsu known to mankind. He used this to develop multiple plans, including something called the Infinite Tsukuyomi, which is his idea of world peace, by world domination."

He paused to catch his breath.

"The only way he can do this is by collecting the nine tailed beasts and transforming them into their original form, the ten-tailed atrocity. Obviously, if the beast is extracted from you, then you will perish."

"What does this plan have to do with Nagato?"

"Nagato is working within Madara's plans to make this happen, eventually reviving Madara. I was formerly Madara's pawn in this, informing Nagato of the plan, but then I convinced the Akatsuki that this isn't the right thing to do. I guess Nagato changed his mind once more."

Naruto wiped a tear that came from his eye. His one family figure…

"This isn't fair..."

Obito cringed at the rage filled voice of Naruto, and patted his shoulder awkwardly. "Naruto, on my pride as an Uchiha, you have my assurance that I haven't betrayed you, and that I will continue to help you."

Suddenly, Obito felt the sheer pressure of Naruto's chakra building up exponentially, and without warning, he Kamui'd them into his pocket dimension, escaping them from the fate of having the entirety of Konoha's forces on their collective ass.

Jumping across multiple cubes to get away, Obito turned around as he felt a violent explosion almost send him careening into oblivion.

"I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT! EVERYTHING GOOD THAT COMES TO ME ALWAYS GOES AWAY! WHYWHYWHYWHY-"

Obito looked on in pity as Naruto screamed to the very heavens and cursed in utter and total despair. His screams were horrifying, and he couldn't help but to attempt a tuning out of the utter destructive force behind Naruto's words.

For what seemed about eternity, Naruto roared and shouted, alone and isolated from everyone and everything, his own life and perspective seemingly shattered, along with his idea of family.

He had Obito, Team 7, Yugao, and the Hokage. That's all he needed, and all he would allow into his life, unless someone absolutely deserved his friendship and/or companionship.

When he had spent his energy screaming and his voice was finally hoarse, the lonesome Uzumaki sat on the cube below him, his eyes flaming with a red hue to them.

"He has finally awakened the Sharingan… the new world is rapidly approaching."

Obito hopped over to Naruto, and took off his mask for Naruto, the first time anyone besides Madara was able to see his true face post boulder.

"Obito, what the hell happened to your face?"

Obito laughed gently at how callous Naruto sounded, his tone obviously not his primary concern after what he had just gone through.

"Madara was good for at the very least one thing, after all." Obito peered closer at the now confused blond in front of him. Six tomoe peered in return. "So it worked..."

"Um, what worked?"

Smirking to himself, Obito went through his coat, looking for something metal, when he found a pristine kunai, having never been used before. It was bigger than a usual kunai, meaning that it wasn't made using the normal method a regular and natural kunai was made.

"When you were young, I injected some of my DNA, specifically the strand of DNA that awakens a Sharingan into a person, and tried to mix and assimilate the Sharingan DNA into your body, and it apparently worked, seeing as you awakened your artificial Sharingan through the pain and anguish of realizing the Akatsuki has betrayed you."

Lifting the kunai up for Naruto to inspect, he realized that this was going to absolutely change the entire landscape of the Elemental Nations, even if he wanted a different result. Obito knew that if he even messed this up, whether it be messing up Naruto's thought process, or if he messed up how Naruto grew, physically at least, then this plan would all be for not, and that it would probably result in the destruction of the world as they all knew it.

"They won't pursue you yet, not for a long time. You have a few years left, this much I know. They'll probably go in order of the tailed beast, so you have a great deal of time. Don't waste it."

* * *

After that little episode, Naruto was back in his apartment, the spaghetti dish now fully being prepared. It was a rather fancy spaghetti dish, if he did say so himself.

Putting the finishing touches on the dish, he set it out and waited for a few moments, feeling his teammates and sensei rapidly approaching his apartment building. Flickering off his Sharingan, he got a few glasses of water and a bottle of champagne ready for the night.

That was something he wasn't exactly accepting, at least not yet. Having a Sharingan, even if it is artificial, is a scary thought to him. He wasn't exactly prepared to start training on how to use it, and because it was already matured for reasons unbeknownst to himself, he had to adapt to the Sharingan, and he had to adapt _fast._

Foreign feelings, especially when it came to his body, were not that uncommon for him. He housed a literal chakra entity inside of him, his family, adoptive and biological, had forsaken him in one way or another, and now he was borrowing from another clan to fuel someone's ideology for conquest.

Then again, he could adopt reading shameless smut, like his sensei, or he could take up about a hundred different things that the various shinobi of Konoha seemed to have, but that would only make him a dirty thief in his eyes.

Jumping across the apartment, he smoothed his shirt out and attempted to fix his hair from its messy strands, before peering thoughtfully into the bathroom mirror to see if it was apparent that he had been bawling earlier. It only looked a little puffy, but it could be passed off as allergies.

He finished grooming himself and went outside to greet his guests, wanting to make a great impression and show them he meant serious business with his cooking.

His mind never seemed to leave the tragedy, unfortunately.

* * *

 **Aaaaaaand done! Sorry for taking so long with this chapter, but I wanted to get something out and get myself back into the groove of things.**

 **So yes, Akatsuki is now the villains again. Don't sue me, please. Obito is still good.**

 **Anyways, Wave mission next chappy? Yes, no, maybe so? Let me know what you all think.**

 **Have a great day/night!**


	4. The Uchiha Collusion

**-4-**

 **The Uchiha Collusion**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its affiliates. This is a fan made work.**

 **So, this won't be the C-rank mission chapter, and that is also okay. My original idea was 'go to wave, Naruto thinks Sasuke kicks the can, and because of that trauma, he awakens the Mangekyo', but I figured that would be rushed and not have any build up, so I won't have him awaken the Mangekyo here.**

 **This is more of a "training montage" chapter and character development, so stay with me.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Jumping out into the open air, their taijutsu match was blistering, the impact of each hit being felt by both sides. Ducking under a snarling kick, a strand of his hair whip-lashed, causing Naruto to raise his eyes in alarm. This was it, this is how he dies.

Falling back safely onto the ground, Naruto delivered a well-timed shot to Sasuke's open chest, his guard having dropped momentarily. Following up with a kick to the solar plexus, he continued his rush towards the lone Uchiha, and attempted a fierce ax kick.

Sasuke slid hastily out of the way. He gripped Naruto's wrist and smirked with a cocky aura. "Gotcha."

Naruto returned an equally coy smile. "Not quite." Using Sasuke's grip and balance, the ghostly Uzumaki vaulted over Sasuke and put him into a headlock, causing the boy to start losing air. "Forfeit, kiddo."

Choking a bit of his breath out, Sasuke frowned. "I-I'm older than you." The lack of air flowing was starting to cause vision loss.

"And I said forfeit, kiddo."

Sasuke, the fighter he was, refused to go out like that. Twisting his body slightly, he slammed his elbow into Naruto's stomach, causing the blond to drop him and take a hop back.

"Fireball Jutsu!" Naruto didn't have time to react before the jutsu collided with him, forcing him backwards into a tree, his back no doubt bruised. "Son of a- how dare he use jutsu." Naruto ground out to himself, pulling himself up.

"Hey, you jerk, this was supposed to be taijutsu only!" Sasuke smirked, a devilish gleam entering his eye, casually tossing a shuriken up and down. "I guess you can't keep up."

Naruto's eyes had a dangerous glint in them. "I won't sink to your level, but I will beat the crap out of you, _Uchiha_ , if you do that again." Brushing the rubble off of himself, Naruto let out a growl. He peered into Sasuke's eyes. The Uchiha channeled chakra into his eyes.

Sasuke's Sharingan, with two tomoe in his right eye and one in his left, leered at him with a haughty confidence, a stone cold, steely resolve reflecting outwards.

Ever since he had awoken his Sharingan, Sasuke had been improving leaps and bounds. His skill had improved immensely. He was still playing catch up to Naruto. However, he had been improving. It wasn't enough most of the time.

They stared at each other passively. Not a word was being shared, but the message being communicated by both was painfully clear, extremely obvious to the other.

"I see that you resort to the Sharingan more, _Sasuke_." He frowned in response.

"Is it 'resorting' when it is naturally at my disposal? Just because you have no kekkei genkai doesn't mean I should limit myself, _Naruto_."

Naruto gave a feral grin to his faux enemy, his body tensed at the very core. "Let's make a deal, Sasuke. Since you, very rudely, used a fire jutsu against me, we both go all out. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, kenjutsu, shurikenjutsu, genjutsu, whatever you want, we fight. Deal?"

Reaching into his ninja pouch, Sasuke drew two shuriken. "Deal." His eyes shone with an unrivaled parallel, a burning passion that could have struck the entire planet in two. A swift silence appeared. A lone bead of sweat slowly cast down his face.

Neither said a word. Just waiting, salivating for the other to strike first. Sasuke, mainly because he could see when Naruto was ready to move, with the only downside being that Naruto's sheer speed would often crack through his Sharingan defense.

Naruto, mainly because he had lightning reflexes and an incredible strain of concentration to match. It was hell for Sasuke whenever they sparred.

Suddenly, they both rushed at the other, intent on winning their little game this time around.

* * *

A bird chirping in the dense foliage above him was what woke him up from his usual post sparring match nap. He rubbed his eyes. Glancing over at the commotion coming from his peripheral vision, he saw the young Uchiha hopping around and throwing shuriken at targets. A look of determination was present.

Naruto got up slowly and hopped over. "Did you master it?" Sasuke gave a small grunt and flashed through a few hand signals. "Fire Style: Great Fire Ball Jutsu!" A concentrated wave of pure destruction erupted from the boy's mouth, incinerating a helpless target that had been unfortunate enough to stand in the way.

"No, not that one, the other one." Naruto hopped away slightly and silently activated his Sharingan. He was focused on the manipulation of chakra that Sasuke would use to form the fireball.

Obito was calm in his approach. He had told Naruto that in order to maximize the output of his Sharingan, he would need to practice with it, and take jutsu in order to widen his arsenal. He wasn't sure about stealing jutsu, but it worked.

He watched the chakra circulate inside of Sasuke's lungs, how it shaped itself and seemed to heat up considerably. It was a beautiful creation. It had the power to destroy anything it touched, and it was frightening how amazing that power was.

Sasuke spit the fire. This time around, however, it wasn't a condensed ball of heat. It wasn't even something Naruto thought of. This time around, it was a heavenly, spread out field of annihilation, of pure and unadulterated chaos and calamity. It was destruction incarnate.

The fire destroyed the grass it was aimed at, the foliage not standing a chance. A simple, charred section of earth was the only thing that remained after the jutsu collided. Nothing remained except dust.

Quickly limiting the chakra flow to his eyes, Naruto peered at Sasuke. He awaited a response. "I still have practice to do," he finally said, resting his eyes for a moment. "but by and large, my Fire Style is coming along rather well."

Naruto grinned with mischievousness gleaming. "Wanna teach me it?"

Sasuke grunted in annoyance and walked to pick up his ninja tool pack. "Not a chance, idiot."

"Well, that is just rude, Mr. Uchi-" before he could finish his childish retort, an ANBU agent, clad in their pristine gray and black uniform, dropped in front of Sasuke. Naruto remained impassive, while Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Lord Hokage requests your presence immediately."

Sasuke nodded, a tad bit confused. In a metaphorically flash, the two of them had disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving behind Naruto. He blinked curiously at what had happened.

"Okay then."

Flaring his chakra to make sure nobody was around, he set himself into a solid base stance. He flashed through the same signs Sasuke did.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Ball Jutsu!"

Instead of the glorious field of inferno that consumed the area around them, a small, measly sputtering of flames came out. The flames quickly died out.

"Damn, I suck."

* * *

Sasuke, surprised enough, walked through the hospital hallways. A distinct smell of… _something_ was omnipresent, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to vomit or cry or do both all at once. A headache was his reward.

Two ANBU, one behind him and the other in front of him, guided him through the hallway until they reached a dead end. However, Sasuke could very slightly feel the chakra covering the wall. It was a fake.

The ANBU in front simply walked through the wall, and seeing no alternative, Sasuke followed. Moving past the fake genjutsu wall, Sasuke noticed that not a single nurse was behind the wall, and every room was empty.

A single room was illuminated. It was at the end of the hallway, with the window giving away its secrets. If given a thousand years, he would have never been able to guess what awaited him.

The ANBU gave a very specific, rapid assortment of knocks onto the door, with no real discernible pattern to his method. Suddenly, the door swung open. The Hokage himself was peering down curiously at Sasuke.

"Before you enter this room, Uchiha Sasuke, I must warn you. Whatever conversations happen in this room, whatever you see or hear, must stay in this room. Failure to do so will be met with immeasurable and immediate punishment, with no hesitation. Do you understand?"

This wasn't the warm, stoic old man that headed the village. This was the God of Shinobi himself, a legendary warrior and an even more terrifying Hokage. Sasuke could only nod his head.

Hiruzen moved out of the way. "Enter, Uchiha."

Moving past the door frame, the only noise from Sasuke was an audible gasp. No, this was impossible! He had been proven dead long ago, there isn't a chance that he could be alive!

"Hello, Sasuke."

He didn't reply.

"Yeah, I'd reply about the same in your situation. Lord Hokage, can you please leave me and Sasuke alone? There are a few things we need to talk about." The Hokage nodded, his eyes dropping.

They were alone at once. Sasuke, by this point, had pulled up a chair and was sitting, his body never fully relaxing, a sharpness in his muscles. Shisui ran a cold hand through his naturally messy hair.

"Me and you are the only survivors from the Massacre. I am not sure how or why I am alive, but I am. I have my suspicions, but ultimately nothing to claim confidently. Yet, here we are."

Sasuke gulped and narrowed his eyes. "Itachi tried to kill you." It wasn't a question.

"He may have _tried_ , but he didn't succeed. I had always been stronger than him, but I guess he caught me at a bad time, and I guess he couldn't bare to actually kill me, so he induced a forced coma. At least, that is what Lord Hokage told me."

It wasn't necessarily the truth, but Shisui wasn't allowed to tell Sasuke. Not yet, anyways.

"I heard that you, his little brother, had survived," Shisui continued. "but I wanted to see it with my own eyes. Your brother was a good man-"

"Bullshit!" Sasuke hissed, a dangerous gleam entering his eyes. "In no world is that- that _monster_ a good man! He slaughtered our whole clan, both of our families! Gone, like they never existed; essentially just- just… just data in history books!"

A few guards outside were tempted to inspect what was occurring inside, but otherwise decided that it was best to let the two survivors have their heart to heart talk.

Shisui raised his hands in surrendering. "I understand your frustration, Sasuke. My family as I know it is forever gone, never to return, but things are not as they seem."

Shisui coughed slightly. "I'm still trying to fully piece together my memories from that night, but I feel as if something isn't exactly right. I am not able to reveal anything that happened, it is an S-rank secret, but I can tell you that vengeance for that night is a goal of mine as well."

Shisui knew it wasn't exactly truthful. He presumed that Sasuke wanted revenge against his older brother, and with the knowledge that he had, he didn't quite blame him. Shisui, however, was looking for revenge against someone else.

Someone much more involved with the Leaf.

Sasuke grunted in response.

"However, Sasuke Uchiha, I give you this warning. Do not follow the path of hatred that many Uchiha fall into. Nothing but destruction follows. I'll guide you along the way, but I can only do so much."

Shisui's Sharingan spiraled into a life of their own, a melancholic smile on his face. The silence of the room was deafening, but only a moment so.

"The pain you are feeling is probably feeling insurmountable, I'd imagine. My only advice is trust in your teammates, confide in them, don't shelter yourself from their attempts, and believe in the will of fire."

Sasuke gave an incredulous frown. "The 'will of fire' is what led Itachi to slaughtering the whole clan." The hidden message was clear. Shisui wasn't sure what to make of it, however.

"And the will of fire is what has led Konohagakure to remain the strongest ninja village out of them all. I'd be surprised if anyone could take us down."

"Lord Hokage has been revived from retirement, the Uchiha are no more besides me and you, and our strongest ninja in recent history died tragically a little over a decade ago. We are long past the 'strongest' ninja village. The will of fire has led to all of these."

The only response he got was a narrowing of the eyes from Shisui. "Konoha is recovering, but we are still a force to be wary of. I'm sure you can lead Konoha back to its glory days, Mr. Last Uchiha. Are you not the top prospect from the academy?"

Apparently, if Sasuke's grinding teeth were any sign, he had hit a sore spot. He wasn't sure if it was about the 'last Uchiha' comment or the top prospect comment. Either way, he was amused.

"I am _one of_ the top prospects from the academy."

Shisui raised an eyebrow. "And, pray tell, who rivals you?"

"Naruto Uzumaki, my, _ahem_ , teammate and rival, according to him."

The opposite Uchiha smirked. "And is he your rival?"

"If you call me losing a majority of the sparring matches a rivalry, then I suppose." If there was one minor thing that Sasuke _hated_ with a passion, it was admitting weakness.

Of course, most Uchiha hated admitting weakness too, but it was a rather sore spot for Sasuke.

"I think that the first step to becoming better than him," Shisui said, gaining Sasuke's attention. "is to reflect on your attitude. I can tell by how you carry yourself that you have abundant strength but lack the confidence to back it up. You have to believe that you can beat him. It's the mindset of winning, and not the mindset of 'not losing', if you understand me."

Shisui shifted his body to a more comfortable position. A silence settled itself.

Sasuke was mentally reviewing everything that he had learned over the past half an hour. Shisui Uchiha, former S-rank threat of the Hidden Leaf, was alive and kicking, despite an attempted murder by Itachi Uchiha.

Judging from what Shisui said, there was more to the massacre than he knew. He wasn't sure how much he didn't know, but he was aware of, or at least aware of the implication, that Itachi wasn't the sole factor to blame in the slaughter.

It was probably a farce anyways. Perhaps he was rationalizing the massacre in an attempt to somehow forgive his brother, and maybe, just maybe, bring back the old Itachi. His mind was far too gone for any more heartbreak.

"Well Sasuke, I think it is time for me to get some more rest. The doctors are coming soon for another scheduled round of muscle recovery, and I think you should get some rest."

Sasuke nodded carefully, a glazed look adorning his normally alert eyes. His body appeared to be moving on its own, with Sasuke being the passenger. He said nothing.

"Remember, Sasuke, don't let hate guide you."

* * *

Obnoxious slurping filled his ear drum. A look of pure disgust was on his face. Some birds chirped.

"So, what did the old man want?

Sasuke smirked at the casual disrespect, and Naruto was surprised that his irritating attitude elicited a visual response. It scared him, honestly.

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, pondering how to respond. He was legally forbidden from revealing the nature of the talk, and he was made well aware of the consequences.

"He told me some interesting things."

His rival shot him a curious look, but gave no other answer. They continued to sit at the bar, Naruto occasionally pausing to ask a question. While he would never allow himself to _smile_ , Sasuke wasn't complaining about the partnership he gained from sitting beside his partner orphan.

"I like hanging out with you, Sasuke. We should do it again sometime, i-if you want, of course." Naruto added on with a little stutter, not totally meeting Sasuke's gaze.

Sasuke could only look on with slightly wider eyes than usual, and he couldn't trust himself to speak without a quiver entering his voice. An emerald green, healthy leaf blew by Sasuke. He quickly schooled his features, and fortunately for him, Naruto didn't catch his momentary surprise.

"I suppose training with you again would be beneficial, as long as we keep Sakura out of it." Naruto frowned slightly.

"I mean she isn't our level, but I think it's kinda mean to not include her, yeah?"

"I'd rather just train with Kakashi and Sakura at once and _not_ deal with her… fanaticism, unless I need to."

Naruto slurped his final cup of ramen. "If you say so, I can't argue against you. Just give it some thought, yeah? I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

Sasuke gave a content hum in response, and cracked his neck. Maybe he wasn't that foolish after all?

* * *

The walls, cracked with filth and dust alike, seemed to stretch for miles upon miles, with no source of light or an end to the long walk in sight. A slight ache bore into the soles of his feet. A bead of sweat dropped.

Continuing his semi-fast pace, the man continued to traverse the darkness. The end goal he had envisioned in his broken mind was not coming to fruition as fast or as clearly as he hoped, but he presumed that's how life was, in the end.

He wasn't sure where he hoped to end at, but his life up to this point was hopeless. The walls seemed to be circling around him, drawing smaller as he continued across the halls. His feet stuttered. He felt extremely dizzy, with a knot of unforeseen sickness building up inside of his stomach, but no escape was found.

His pace increased. More sweat dripped from his face. The walls seemed to be trapping him, a feral glint in his eyes. Why did it seem this hallway was so much smaller?

Finally, a ray of faint light reached his eyes, and breaking out into a full sprint, he reached his destination.

It was a well-lit room, and a small bookcase was sitting gently in the corner. There was a slight waft of dust, but other than that it was very generic. A black and red rug, smeared slightly from seemingly decades of use, laid flat. A fireplace that had seen better days stared at him. A very homey feel.

"I hope you didn't drag me down here for a tea date, _Tobi_." The man said casually, a hint of hard steel entering his voice. The other occupant of the room, now identified as Tobi, shook his head.

"You'd do well to drop the attitude, _boy_. Might I remind you about your current predicament?" Tobi took a book he had been reading and threw it at him. "Read it."

He opened the book with a hint of trepidation, slight confusion setting in. Suddenly, he began to flip through the pages, not caring at all about any sort of paper cut. His eyes widened slightly, an increasing heat flowing through him. He felt like vomiting.

"Explain this, Tobi. What is this?"

Despite his face being hidden by his mask, Tobi merely smirked. "That would be Pain's plans for Naruto Namikaze, and every other jinchuriki out in the world. I know Sarutobi sent you as a spy, but did you really believe that the Akatsuki weren't pure evil? You must know that Pain has plans for both Naruto _and_ Sasuke, yes?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes dangerously, but remained silent. Obito took that at his chance to continue. "Pain is going to use Naruto and kill him in the process, and we both know that Sasuke's one true connection to Konoha _is_ Naruto."

Obito cracked his neck. "I have a proposition for you, Itachi Uchiha, one that I think you'd do best if you accepted."

This was a tricky situation for the Uchiha Slaughterer. He could either risk everything and accept this deal, or he could risk everything anyways and maybe _potentially_ be able to fix it manually. It was tearing his mind apart.

"I'm listening."

* * *

 **Chapter 4 is done! I'm sorry for the long wait, life got in the way. Hope you all enjoy, hopefully my next chapter comes before 2019! That's a joke, by the way. (Not really.)**


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